Revival and reformation in my life does not happen by accident, nor does it happen while I sleep or come as a surprise one morning when I wake up. Revival and reformation take decided and consistent efforts on my part. In His high priestly prayer in John 17:3, Jesus said: “ ‘And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent’ ” (NKJV). Therefore, it is vital for every follower of Christ to know how to get to know Jesus and remain in Him.
We are told that Jesus was completely dependent on His Father for everything He did (John 5:19, 20). He maintained His close relationship with His Father by praying and studying the Scriptures.
Jesus invites us to have a close relationship with Him. Through daily study of His Word, as well as through prayer and witnessing, we can have a close relationship with Jesus. But maintaining my relationship with Jesus takes time, not just a few minutes a day, reading a text and a quick prayer. No, it takes much more time during the day. It requires a lot of effort to consistently set aside this time for Jesus every day, seven times a week. Revival and reformation is a by-product of my earnest efforts to get to know Jesus and to maintain my relationship with Him.
—Gerhard Pfandl, PhD, now retired, served as an associate director, Biblical Research Institute, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.
